Beam-scale.



A. W. EPRIGHT.

BEAM SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED 1uLY14.1916.

y1,262,028. Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET F/G'. l LJ* i G C l I i Sme/Wto@ A. W. EPRIGHT.

BEAM SCALE.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 14.1916.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 ALONZO W. EPRGi-ET, GF

BELM- Application tiled July "all, 1916.

To all whom z'z may concern.'

Be it known that l, frioxao ift. Eraierrr, citizen of the v"United States of AL erica, cna, in the county ot .Blair` and oit Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and usetul improve ment in Beam-Scales, ci' which the following 2. true and exact description, reference being; had to the accompanying drawings, wh .b 4" in a part thereof.

My present invention to beam se les ot the t5/'pe in which a main poise mouutml on and along the scale iary p oise admain poise and employed to n c weight subdivisions than tlf-:ie readily .veighed by the y adjustment of the nain poise. This type ot beam scale is nonly employed ior instance, in weigh ailway cars, and in a modern tracl' sca L this type provisions `are connnonly made tor adjusting the main poi o the beam by incre ments Vwhich lined bv the spacing of the notches in the scale and correspond to weignt va ons of i000 pounds each, while the au "nary poise adapted to he adjusted by i f its corresponding to we'glit dit" fifty pounds each. En the ordi such a railway track scale, the main of' iirst adjusted justably mou bedr to the position nearer :aero point of the two adjacent positions a; o sides or" the position which the main poise would have to occupy to exactly balance the weight of the car being weighed, and the auxiliary poise is then shifted to complet the approximate balance of the scale. rEhe position ot the auxiliary poise then indicates the fraction ot a thousand pounds hy which the actual weight of the car exceeds the weio'nt, in even thousands of pounds, indicated by the setting` ot the main poise. rThe operation oit weighing thus involves a setting of the main poise to a position in which the load is nearly but not quite balanced, and the further setting of the auxiliary poise into a still closer and final approximation of balance, and the reading of the weight. rlhe reading` of the weight involves an observation of the position of the main poise on the scale beam, and devtermination of the position of the auxiliary SGAE.,

, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Eatent. l'gafnted Apr. 9, 1918.

Serial Eo. 1439,246.

and their correlation in the mind of the opcrater, obviously takes more time than would be quired if the weight were def rmi-ned by a single observation, and involve increased possibility ot error.

The object et i present invention is to provide simple ano eiieciive means tor indicating the weight ointly measured by the setting ci the main and auxiliary poises in such a manner that the numerical value oi this weight is so displayed that 'it can be easily and accurately read at a single glance. ln the preferred mode ot carrying out my invention l mount on the main poise a register comprising' a plurality oi? dial wheels or analogous inunoial exhibitors which cooperate to display the numerical value of the weight balanced by the scale beam in for example, the 1 reus, are automatically by the relative movements ot jrhe rEhe practical importance ot my iiupix nientjvhen used in connection with ordinv' railway track scales `will he understood .i om the tact that in ordinary operation ot weighing a train o'l cars motion, not more than tour or ve seconds is iiermitted the weigh master in which to adjust the poises to balance the weigat oin car, and to read and record the weightindication jointly indicated by the positions ot' the poises.

rl`he various features ot novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part oi this specification. For better understanding of the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompaiayinodrawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Ot the drawings:

Figure l is an elevation of a portion of a beam weighing scale;

i taken on the Fig. 2 is an elevation, on a larger scale than Fig. l, of the main poise shoivn in Fig. 3 is an elevation of the weight register Wheels employed;

shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elwation taken on Iiig.. o is asectional. pian line 5 6 ot Fig. Ll.

pan oi geaiseinpioyec in `he ueignt Lcgister; and

of gears employed in the weight register.

In tlie drawings, rii'epresents the beam ot Weighing railway cars, the beam A being tulcrumed on the beam supportingpost B.

beam .A and the load'balanccd thereby. D and D represent the usual weights by Il) represents the main poise iumuited on and adjustable along the scale beam A. iis

vided With anti-ifrictional rolls E ruiming on the upper edge or' the beam A and proterin' the notches A provided in the u i )er D P i edge of the scale beam. In ordinary railfrom one another by distances corresponding' to Weight dillerenc ,s of a thousand poise I5 may thus cooperate` .vith the gradoated scale A2 provided on the beam Ato inin `thousancls oi pounds. In so tar as the cally described' it embodies nothing nouY novel with nie.

provide a channel receiving the auxiliary poise F which is formed at its upper and or guideivays la* carried by thepoise E. The poise Fhas adjustably secured to it the ends over pulleys F3 journaled in the main poise l. The band F2`termniatcs in threaded end located in a chamber formed between the body oi the rvpoise F and the removable front 'F by screws Fsand serves'to clamp the'ends orthe band F2 tothe poise, the latter being screws F8. The band F2 serves to obviate the possibility of the auxiliary poise canting and it also serves Ato close in a practically dust prooi` manner, the slot 'E40 'formed in F ig'. l;

ig. et is an end elevation ot the poise t the broken line 5 5 or' Fijad- Fig. 'i' is an elevation et' a cooperating Fig. S is a similar vieu' of another pair a platform scale of the type employed in C represents the connection between the which the scale asa u'liole is balanced, and

shown, the poise E comprises a body pro- *ided with a positioning detent ,E2 for enivay track scales these notches are separated poundsv` and the index carried by the dicate the approximate weight oi the load mechanism illustrated has noiv been specifi- As shown, the poise is cliambered to lower edges u 'ch grooves receiving ribs oi a steel tape or like band VF2 which rims portions FG connected by aturnbuclle FT F9 which is secured to the body of the ypoise formed With relongated slots to vreceive Athe in, and jamming between the guide ribs F4,

the front side of the poise E to permit the passage-of the handle F by which the auxiliary poise F is adjusted. The handle F is provided with an index projection F5 which cooperates With the graduated scale lili to show the weight variations measured by the adjustment ot the auxiliary poise F with respect to the main poise E. In a railway track scale the scale E is commonly graduated in increments of fifty pounds.

The poise E is chambered, in the construction shoivn, to receive a weight register consisting of dial or number exhibitor iaheelsG, G2, (z3,'G4, G and G6, and their operatingn-ieans. Each of the dial wheels lueurs numerals on its periphery which are visible, one at a time, through the openings 1" toi-ined in the lront Wall of the main misc. Associated with the number exhibit- ,'ng wlieels'oiz the weight register arc means "or automatically adj sting these wheels, as hemain and auxiliary poises are adjusted, sotliat themember formed by the numerals ol the diil'erent wheels G", G2, G, Gr, 5 and GG visible through the openings E at any instant ivill tbe the number of pounds balanced by the scale beam, with the correspondingsetting of the main and auxiliary poises. The operating connections for the number wheels of the register comprise means actuateifl 'by the relative movements ot the auxiliary and main poises for ad- Ustng the number Wheels.corresponding to the lower orders of numerals of thc number shown by the register, and means actuated by the relativelmovement ot the main poise and beam orfadjusting the number wheels bearing the high order of numerals. Thus .in the apparatus shown, the wheels G4, Gi5 and G `may be, and are intended to be, the thousand pound, ten thousand pound and hundred thousand pound Wheels of the register, and are automatically actuated by the relative movement of the main poise and beam. while the Wheels G', .12 and G are intended to serve as the unit, ten and hundred pound Wheels of the register and are automatically adjusted by the movement of the auxiliary poise relative to the lmain poise.

The means provided for adjusting the wheels G, G2 and G3 comprise steel tapes H and H each connected ationefend to `'the poise Fand at the other end rto the periphery of :the Ydrum I journaled `on va vertical shaft 'I'. As shown. the vflexible, elements H and I-I are each provided with aithreaded end 'H2 "by which 'the 'band Jmay be adiustably connected to the web Fl-'of theipoise F. The bands H, of which Vthereiare two, are shown, runaround.a'pulley or idler roll H3 at one end ot the path of tra-vel of the poiseF and the 'flexible elements II run eroundan idler i-fioll 'll :it the other en the :i'iatlio'l movement if the poise F. .5' i' this arrangement the orum i ill sie tated in exact proportion to the linear motion of the poise F along the guides Et.

Secured to the drum l and coaxial there- With is a spur gear l2 which meshes With a spur gear J secured on a vertical shaft J journaled in the poise E and carrying at its upper end a bevel gear J 2 which meshes with n. bevel gear K secured on a shaft K. rlhe shaft K has secured to it a spur gear K2 and an intermittent gear K2. rlhe gear L2 meshes with a spur gear G7 journaled on the stationary shaft L and forming the hub, so to speak, of the number Wheels G" and G2 which are rigidly secured to the gear GT. The gear K3 meshes With an intermittent spur gear'GS journaled on the shaft L and forming` the hub of Jthe number Wheel G3. The ratio of the intermittent gears K3 and GS is 2 to l, and, as shovvn in Fig. S, these gears are of a type commonly employed in registers. The ratio of the gears K2 and G7 .is l to l. Since the mechanism shown is not intended to show Weight variations of less than fifty pounds, th Wheel G carries a circular series of t n zeros, While the Wheel G2 bears a peripheral series of zero marks with nume als 5 alternating therewith. The symbols on the periphery of the Wheel G3, like those on the Wheels G4, G5 and GG, include a zero mark and the nine digits arranged in regular order.

It Will be apparent that as the poise ll is moved away from the zero position in which the wheels G,' G2 and G3 each exhibits a zero mark, the corresponding rotation of the shaft K will cause these Wheels to successively register 50, 100, 150, and so on up to the final position in which each of these wheels again exhibit a zero mark.

The movement of the poise E along the scale beam A actuates the register Wheels Gt, G5 and G6 through gearing comprising a rack bar A3 secured to the rear side of the scale beam, and a spur gear M carried at the upper end of a vertical shaft M journaled in the poise E. it its lower end Jthe shaft M carries a spur gear M2 which meshes with and drives a bevel gear O secured to a shaft O Which is in axial alinement With the shaft K. The shaft O has secured to it a spur gear O2 meshing With a spur geai` G9 journaled on the stationary shaft L and forming the hub of the register Wheel G4. The ratio of the gears O2 and G9 is l to l. An intermittent gear O3 having a single driving tooth is secured to the shaft O and once for each revolution of the latter engages and advances through a tenth of a turn, a gear Wheel G10 journaled on the shaft L and forming the hub of the number Wheel G4. The gears O3 and G10 are shown in Fig. 7 as of a type in common use in registers i having number Wheels moving in a ten to l ratio@L The gear G1o also has secured to it a spur gear G11 which meshes with a spur gear G1 loosely journaled on the shaft O. The gear O1 is shown as formed integral With a gear G5 which is a one-tooth gear intermittently driving at a l to l() ratio a gear Wheel G12 journaled on the shaft L. The gears and G12 are similar respectively7 to the gears 03 and G1O shovvn in Fig. 7.

lt Will be apparent Without detailed explanation that as the poise E is adjusted along the beam, the Wheels G4, G5 and G are adjusted required so that in any setting of the poise E the thousand, ten thousand and hundred thousand numerals of the number which is the numerical value of the Weight which the poise E balances in that position, is shown through vthe openings TEG by the number wheels Gt, G5 and Ge.

ln the use of the scale mechanism illusvtrate/d, each Weighing operation involves nothing but the adjustment of the main poise and the auxiliary poise, and the reading of the numerical value of the Weight which is collectively exhibited by the Wheels G', G2, G2, G4, G5 and GG through the openings EG. ln the practical use of a railway track scale by a skilled Weigh master, the Weigh master is guided in adjusting the poises, entirely or practically so, by the sense of touch, and a single glance at the number formed by the numerals exhibited through the openings EG constitutes the entire visual inspection of the scale beam and parts carried by it required for a single Weighing operation. The Weight is indicated, moreover, in a manner which reduces the possibility of an error in reading the same, practically to a minimum.

The particular' form of apparatus disclosed possesses a number of important practical advantages. For one thing the angular velocity of none of the number Wheels need be undesirably high. For another thing, frictional resistance to movement of the auxiliary poise due to its tilting or jamming in the guidevvay of the main poise is practically eliminated by the use of the band F2. This is of particular importance, of course because of the additional resistance to the movement of the auxiliary poise relative to the main poise due to the gearing connecting the auxiliary poise with .the number Wheels of the register. The

means provided for connecting the ends of the tape or band F2 to each other and to the poise F permit of an easy and accurate adjustment in the tension of the band F2 to take up slack, or to avoid unnecessary tension, and Without disturbing the relation of the center of gravity of the turnbuckle F7 to the center of gravity of the remaining portions of the auxiliary poise. The practical importance of this will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The means provided for converting the reciprocating movement of the poise F into rotary movement of the sh aft I at 1ight angles thereto is very effective because of the avoidance of sliding ifriction in the power transmitting connections between the poise F and the drum and because of the ease with which slack in the flexible connections H and H may be taken up, and the ease with which the drum l may be with respect to the poise F to make the Zero position of the wheels G', G2 and Gi3 correspond to the zero position of the pointer F5 of the scale E5.

Vhile in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described the best form of apparatus embodying my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those rskilled in the art that the invention in its broader aspects is not restricted to use with the particular form of apparatus disclosed and that changes therein may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the attached claims. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain features oi? the invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. The combination with a scale beam of a main poise adjustably mounted on said beam and formed with a guideway, an auxiliary poise mounted in said guideway and provided with a handle portion by which said auxiliary poise may be adjusted, registering wheels mounted on said main poise, pulleys journaled on said main poise, and a flexible element running over said pulleys and connecting said auxiliary poise to said Wheels.

2. The combination with a scale beam and the main poise adjustably mounted on said beam and an auxiliary poise adjustably mounted on the main poise, of a weight register mounted on said main poise and comprising a number of wheels, means for rotating some of said wheels in proportion to the relative movement of the main poise and bea-m7 and means for rotating others of said wheels in proportion to the relative movement of said poises, said last mentioned ieans including a rotating drum journaled in said main poise and flexible elements connected to and extending in opposite directions away from said auxiliary poise and connected to and extending in opposite directions about the periphery of the drum whereby said drum is rotated in one direction or the other accordingly as said auxiiiary poise is moved in one direction or the other.

3. The combination with a scale beam of a chambered main poise adjustably mounted on said beam and provided with a guide way for an auxiliary poise and with a slot in its wall. adjacent said guide way, an auxiliary poise mounted in said guide way and comprising an operating portion projecting through said slot, pulleys at the opposite ends of said slot and a flexible element looped about said pulleys and connected to said auxiliary poise and coperating with said auxiliary poise to close said slot.

4. The combination with a scale beam of a chambered main poise adjustably mounted on said beam and provided with a guide way for an auxiliary poise and with a slot in its wall adjacent said guide way, an auxiliary poise mounted in said guide way and comprising an operating portion projecting through said slot, pulleys at the opposite ends of said slot and a flexible element looped about said pulleys and adjust-ably connected at its ends to said auxiliary poise, and coperating with said auxiliary poise to lclose said slot.

ALONZO W. EPRIGHT.

Coplero! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti. Washington, 13.0. 

